Trailing with six minutes left, Jalen Green took over with 11 efficient points late as Houston rallied past Chicago to win its sixth straight game. The Rockets (43-25) are now at No. 2 in the West.
HOUSTON — The Rockets entered Saturday at 6-9 on night two of back-to-backs this season, and they were missing two of their most impactful two-way players in Amen Thompson (left ankle sprain) and Tari Eason (left lower leg injury management).
Yet, led by a strong fourth-quarter effort from Jalen Green, the Rockets overcame a deficit with six minutes to play and rallied to a 117-114 home victory over the Chicago Bulls (box score). Houston (43-25) has now won six straight, overall, and is at to No. 2 in the Western Conference standings after Denver’s late-night loss.
The Rockets are now 25-10 at Toyota Center this season, and they are a perfect 5-0 on their current six-game homestand, which concludes Monday.
Green had a game-high 28 points (44.0% FG, 38.5% on 3-pointers) and 6 rebounds for the Rockets, including 11 in the game’s final six minutes on 4-of-6 shooting (66.7%). His offensive rebound and putback with 15 seconds left put the Rockets up multiple possessions and effectively secured the game.
For the Rockets, other individual statistics of note included:
- Alperen Sengun: 24 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks, 2 steals; 9-of-18 shooting (50.0%), 6-of-8 on free throws (75.0%)
- Fred VanVleet: 23 points, 7 assists; 8-of-20 shooting (40.0%), 5-of-14 on 3-pointers (35.7%)
- Jabari Smith Jr.: 12 points, 9 rebounds, 4-of-11 shooting (36.4% FG), 1-of-5 on 3-pointers (20.0%)
- Steven Adams: 4 points, 9 rebounds, 3 assists; 2-of-4 shooting (50.0%)
Coby White led the visiting Bulls with 23 points, though Houston held him to just 7-of-21 shooting (33.3%) and 1-of-7 on 3-pointers (14.3%). The Rockets own the league’s No. 2 defense for the season, though they were short-handed Saturday without Thompson and Eason. In their absence, Smith and Dillon Brooks did much of the heavy lifting.
It was another big rebounding night for Houston, which leads the NBA in that category this season. The Rockets out-rebounded the Bulls, 54-36.
Both teams had potential playoff implications at stake. Houston remains a game back of Denver (44-24) for No. 2 in the West standings, while Chicago is at No. 10 in the East and just inside the play-in tournament field. The Bulls (28-39) had a four-game winning streak snapped.
March 15 Rockets-Bulls Complete Highlights
March 15 Postgame Reaction and Interviews
What’s Next
Houston wraps up its six-game homestand at Toyota Center — its longest of the 2024-25 NBA season — with Monday’s visit from Philadelphia (22-44). Tipoff of Rockets-76ers is at 7:00 p.m. Central.
